50 Cats and Kittens From Maui Have Arrived at Humane Society Silicon Valley

Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) is now sheltering 50 felines — 37 cats and 13 kittens — from Maui Humane Society (MHS) and Lanai Cat Sanctuary, creating more room at those locations for animals, including ones displaced by last summer’s wildfires.

MHS had almost 200 feral felines in their care that were permanently displaced by the Lahaina fires in August 2023. Lanai Cat Sanctuary generously agreed to take in these cats if they were able to make space by moving social felines out.

Lanai Cat Sanctuary has a four-acre “purradise” to provide feral and community island felines a protected home for life, and helps to protect endangered species of birds found on the islands. The sanctuary provides a high quality of life for feral felines that are accustomed to the freedom of the outdoors and would struggle to adapt to life in indoor shelters.

Humane Society Silicon Valley is the last piece of the puzzle to not only provide a fresh start for the felines moving to Lanai, but also for socialized Lanai felines to find their own families in the mainland. HSSV will place the incoming cats up for adoption or with local rescue partners.

“It’s an extremely rewarding experience to know we’re having a positive impact on so many cats and kittens from Maui,” said Jessica Zubizarreta, Program Manager, Rescue & Animal Movement at HSSV. “These types of collaborative, creative solutions between organizations to save and improve lives are only possible with community and public support like donating, fostering, and adopting, so we’re very grateful that we were able to be in a position to help.”

Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit organization that works to help people, pets, and the planet, coordinated the charter flight and supervised the cats on their five-hour flight from Maui to the Bay Area. They also assisted MHS with a large transport of shelter pets to the mainland immediately following the fires to make room for incoming fire survivors.

See additional photos and video footage of the cats as they travel from Maui to HSSV here.

Read the full article here.